On Thursday, January 6, the Maryland Jockey Club announced that Laurel Park would be closed for live racing due to the winter weather, however the very next day (Friday, January 7), MJC put out a second press release stating that training and live racing would be canceled through January 9 “due to ongoing track maintenance and inclement weather predicted for Sunday.”
In this second statement, MJC also announced that on Monday, January 10, track experts Glen Kozak from New York Racing Authority and Jamie Richardson from Churchill Downs will be onsite at Laurel Park to consult and evaluate track conditions.
The Racing Biz reported earlier today, January 8, that MJC acting president Mike Rogers held a meeting with horsemen in the Laurel Park track kitchen. The meeting was livestreamed by participant Jessica Lindsey.
The possibility of moving training and live racing back to Pimlico was discussed. “I want to have a contingency plan so we don’t lose any more race days,” Rogers told the gathering of 50 or so horsemen.
Rogers also reported that the track was, in general, safe, but because the winterization process was not complete, it has not stood up effectively to more severe weather we have seen this past week. Rogers also said that the priority at this moment is to accelerate the addition of the sand to the cushion needed for winterization.
To read more, click here: https://www.theracingbiz.com/2022/01/08/maryland-horsemen-in-limbo-with-laurel-closure/?fbclid=IwAR3aRvQgTHTE51a2AfDi_nd1FB2KRiHGeFXzukEEMTuATk1DiSoU9xBZVjA
